Formartine squeeze things up at the top
FORMARTINE UNITED 4 BRECHIN CITY 3 Formartine put the cat back amongst the pigeons at the top of the table with a well-deserved win.
Brechin were the first to strike, Ewan Loudon hammering in a 10th-minute opener from just outside the box.
United struck back with a quick 1-2 just after the half-hour. Marc Lawrence found the corner of the net with a deflected shot in for the leveller then Julian Wade turned the scores around with a closerange finish following a Scott Lisle effort
Rodger slotted in a third for Formartine just before the break.
Loudon headed home his second of the game to reduce the deficit to one but that was soon doubled by Adam Emslie and, despite City trialist Sean Hastie coming off the bench to net from Marc Scott’s cross, United held on for the three points.
HUNTLY 4 ROTHES 4
This topsy-turvy, entertaining, match started with a goal in the second minute.
Greg Morrison set Jake Thomson away and, although he didn’t net, Gary Kerr followed in to good effect.
Six minutes later Thomson got his goal, chipping skilfully home from Aidan Wilson’s diagonal pass.
Huntly responded in the 16th minute, Ryan Sewell feeding Lewis Crosbie to drive into the box and fire low into the corner. Rothes were awarded a penalty in 22nd minute which Michael Finnis slotted low into the bottom left.
On the half-time mark, Crosbie found Angus Grant, who lifted his shot over the keeper for 3-2.
A minute into the second half, Michael Clark whipped the ball in where Andy Hunter chested it down and shot home on the turn.
In 64 minutes Hunter found Grant and he netted his second to give Huntly the lead for the first time but it only lasted eight minutes as Finnis scored his second with a close-range toe-poke.
INVERURIE LOCOS 1 TURRIFF UNITED 4
With Dean Donaldson facing his former team this was expected to be a fiery affair and so it proved.
Turriff striker Ewan Clark saw red for aiming a punch at stand-in Locos keeper John Farquhar. Liam Strachan put the 10 men ahead with a 30-yard screamer that kissed the underside of the crossbar on its way in.
It was 10v10 by half-time as Thomas Reid saw red for a low kick at an opponent. Locos levelled just after the hour with Myles Gaffney following in on his ownpenaltytonettherebound. Callan Gray put Turra back in front with another stunning strike, this time on the angle.
Late on, Reece Mckeown added two goals to make an entertaining clash look like a trouncing.
KEITH 3 DEVERONVALE 2
A late fightback from Deveronvale wasn’t enough to see them take anything from their trip to Keith.
The Maroons took charge of the game with two goals in
a three-minute spell halfway through the first half.
Kieran Yeats beat Sean Mcintosh to put them ahead then Connor Killoh doubled that lead from the penalty spot.
Keith looked to be on easy street when Matthew Tough gave them a three-goal lead with 16 minutes to go but Vale’s subs almost turned things around. Jack Mitchell pulled one back in the 82nd minute then Cameron Angus made it 3-2 to set up a nervy final few minutes.
LOSSIEMOUTH 0 FRASERBURGH 1
Fraserburgh took a hard-earned three points from Grant Park to climb up to sixth.
The Broch had the best of the first half but were unable to break down a tenacious Lossie defence.
Scott Barbour always looked the most likely to open the scoring. He was denied by a fine block by Lewis Mcandrew early in the half then somehow lifted the ball over the bar when a goal looked on the cards in the 25th minute.
The game’s solitary strike arrived three minutes after the turnaround.
Josh Bolton unlocked the home defence with a pass in for Barbour who fired home from eight yards.
STRATHSPEY THISTLE 0 FORRES MECHANICS 2
Two first-half goals were enough to give Forres Mechanics a much-needed three points to lift them back up to 11th.
The Can Cans edged ahead in the 32nd minute when Ethan Cairns, who had a brief loan spell with the Jags two seasons ago, came back to haunt them, forcing the ball home from close range.
Shaun Morrison changed the dynamic of the half-time team talks with a second right on the stroke of the interval, rising to head past Steven Martin.
Forres played prudently in the second half, doing what was required to secure the win. Three games fell to the weather.
■ Buckie Thistle v Clachnacuddin, Brora Rangers v Nairn County and Wick Academy v Banks o’ Dee.